Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to grain carts and, more particularly, to grain carts having folding augers.
Description of the Related Art
In agriculture, augers are frequently used to move material from a cart to another cart, silo, truck, or other storage facility. Augers used to move grain are known as grain augers and are frequently employed in grain carts. A typical grain auger includes an auger screw of constant diameter and pitch that is housed inside a tubular housing or shaft to form an auger assembly. An intake portion of the auger assembly can draw from a hopper (usually by gravity) attached to it to receive grain or other material from the hopper and the other end (i.e., the discharge end) has a chute or the like to guide the grain or other material into its destination. It is well known in the art to attach an auger assembly to a grain cart to off-load the grain cart.
As a grain cart with a fully extended auger can be somewhat unwieldy during transport, many grain carts employ folding augers that can open to an operating position and fold to a transport position. In general, a folding auger assembly includes a lower auger assembly and an upper auger assembly. When in the operating position, the upper and lower auger assemblies function as one co-linear auger. When in transport position, the upper auger portion folds to reduce the height and the width of the grain cart. Folding the auger assembly makes it easier to transport the grain cart on roads.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004/0184905, 2007/0119688, and 2005/0238470 as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,655,872, 5,340,265, 4,846,621, 5,628,608, 6,422,376 all disclose folding augers with distinct disadvantages. For instance, none of them maximize side and forward reach when in an operating position and minimize transport size when in a transport position. Another disadvantage of prior art folding augers is that the folding motion may not clear the cab of some tractors, making it difficult to convert the auger between operating and transport positions.